My Baked Spinach Manicotti is a decadent but easy pasta dish that is perfect to serve as a Meatless Monday main dish or side to go with your favorite entree. However you serve it, your family and friends will be asking for more.
This Baked Spinach Manicotti is full of cheesy goodness, spinach and two sauces. It really is a terrific way to ‘up’ your dinners. . . and if you have leftovers. . . it’s perfect for lunch the next day.
What is Manicotti?
Manicotti is a shape of pasta that means “big sleeves” and it is commonly used as a stuffed pasta. Generally, these large tubes of pasta are stuffed with cheese and sometimes with ground meat and vegetables and then baked.
Of course, in my opinion, anything that is stuffed with cheese is amazing and this dish is exactly that. . . amazing!!!
So Why Two Sauces?
Well, my thinking is, if one sauce is good then two sauces are great and I love the combination of marinara and a good white sauce, also known as alfredo.
A lot of times, when I make spaghetti, I will make a meat sauce and an alfredo sauce mainly because my husband is not a fan of tomato based sauces AND he loves my alfredo sauce. The rest of the family will obviously eat one or the other but a few of us eat both of them together. So delicious!!! 😍
Don’t be intimidated about making an alfredo sauce, it’s one of the easiest pasta sauces to prepare.
Why Should you Make my Baked Spinach Manicotti?
First of all, it’s pretty easy to make, especially since I use Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles. I think it’s easier than using the actually manicotti shells because a lot of times the shells break before and/or after cooking and it can be complex to fill, which they end up breaking anyways. 😏
Second, this is a pretty hearty dish. Even without the meat, your tummy is quite satisfied after eating a serving of my Baked Spinach Manicotti.
But mostly, Baked Spinach Manicotti is just down right delicious. I know I sound like I’m tooting my own horn, but sometimes I have to say I impress myself. I’m definitely going to have this on my menu during the month.
What Do I Need to Make Baked Spinach Manicotti?
You will need a dutch oven, tongs, medium saucepan, whisk, measuring cups, measuring spoon, mixing bowl, mixing spoon, a medium baking dish, grater and the following ingredients:
Mama Fawn’s Tips:
- You can substitute manicotti noodles if you cannot find the Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles in your grocery store. Just cook according to the directions on the box.
- It’s important to follow the recipe directions when cooking the lasagne noodles because they stick very easily.
- The noodles will feel like they are not cooked through. That is okay, they will continue to cook in the oven.
- I like to use freshly grated parmesan when I can but using the grated parmesan cheese in the green container 😆 works perfectly for this dish.
- If you do not like ricotta, you can replace it with the same amount of cottage cheese just make sure you drain any liquid so you don’t have a soupy dish.
- Make sure you squeeze the frozen spinach as best as possible. Again, you do not want a soupy casserole.
- Use your favorite jarred marinara or your own recipe. Either one is going to make this recipe amazing.
- Do not skip letting the manicotti sit for at least 10 minutes. This helps with the sauce to thicken and it keeps you from burning the taste buds off your tongue.
Baked Spinach Manicotti
Course: ItalianCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings20
minutes25
minutesIngredients
6 Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles
1 stick (8 tbsp) salted butter
1 cup heavy cream
¾ c. grated or freshly grated parmesan
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt, divided
15 oz. ricotta
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain excess liquid
1 egg
1 ½ cup shredded fontina or mozzarella, divided
1 cup marinara sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a dutch oven, bring water to a boil over high heat. Add half the oven ready lasagne noodles to the boiling water and stir to keep from stirring. Cook for 2 minutes. With tongs, remove the cooked lasagne noodles to parchment paper, making sure they are not touching. Repeat with remaining lasagne noodles. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium saucepan, add the stick of butter and melt over medium to medium low heat. You do not want the butter to brown. Once the butter is melted, pour in the heavy cream and stir. Add the grated parmesan, garlic powder and ¼ tsp of salt. Whisk until combined and simmer for 3-5 minutes, making sure it does not boil. Whisking occasionally so it does not burn. Take off heat until ready to use.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the ricotta, spinach, egg, remaining ¼ tsp of salt and ½ cup of shredded fontina. Combine until all the ingredients are incorporated.
- In a small baking dish, add a half cup of marinara to the bottom of the dish and spread evenly.
- Cut the cooled lasagne noodles in half so they are equal squares.
- Place a heaping spoonful of the ricotta mixture in the middle of each lasagne noodle, making sure the mixture is divided evenly. Fold the stuffed noodle in half. Place the stuffed noodles into the baking dish. Pour the white sauce over the stuffed noodles making sure all the noodles are covered and the sauce is seeping down to the edges.
- Dollop the remaining marinara sauce over the white sauce and sprinkle the shredded fontina evenly over the manicotti.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and brown on the sides.
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes or more before serving. Enjoy!
